CORONA BLUES & ONLINE CLASS
Dealing with emotions that arise along with COVID-19 and how to make the best of online classes.
JUNE 2021 ARTICLES
WAYS TO REACH OUT TO FRIENDS & FAMILY DESPITE ONLINE CIRCUMSTANCES
by Jayda Lim
During the pandemic, it was hard for me to reach out and tell the people I love that I cared for them. Even now, I am still struggling to make so much effort in order to remind them that I care because of the online platform that, in a way, hinders me to tell them how much they mean to me.
So what do I do to reach out to my friends and loved ones?
Social Media Interaction
A lot of my friends post a lot of stories on Instagram, thus I use it as a platform for interacting with them. I reply or react to a lot to their stories in order to know how they are doing.
2. Invite them to play games
Since I usually play games these days, what I do is invite my friends and invite them to play games. It is interesting how in games, we are able to talk and bond as we experience the same event and are able to get frustrated by the same things.
3. Send them posts that remind you of them
Whenever I scroll through Instagram, I see a lot of posts that remind me of my friends and send the posts to them. Sometimes it looks funny and nostalgic. It is also a nice way to make discussions, and that’s what my friends do as well. I appreciate it so much when they send me a post that reminded them of me.
4. Trying to initiate first
Although it takes effort, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with taking the first initiative in contacting your loved ones and relatives. At first, I was quite lazy when it comes to contacting my loved ones first, however, I know I had to put in some effort in order to tell them that I care.
5. Don’t forget special dates
I think it is important to write or greet a friend or loved one when it comes to special days such as Christmas or Birthdays. It is a good way to start a conversation or to remind them how important they are. I also think simple actions or efforts to people such as messaging them on special occasions mean a lot.
MAY 2021 ARTICLES
ON BEING ALONE
by Yunjae Lee
It hurts to admit it, but it has almost been a year since the pandemic started and we don’t know when it will end. We are having online classes for over a year, and it became a new norm. The pandemic seems endless, and we’re slowly getting used to the disconnection between people.
As a person who doesn’t mind being alone, who rather prefers it, staying home and staying away from people wasn’t a problem. To be honest, I now had a great excuse to stay alone - a global pandemic. Staying home wasn’t new to me. If there was something different, I’m now staying home because I have to, rather than by choice. When I realized that this pandemic would last more than just a month, I decided that this quarantine would be a time to improve myself. I was so confident that I was going to get through this quarantine with no problem. I was going to have a great ‘self-improvement time.'
At first, everything went great. I had more time to take care of my physical health. I had time to make a meal for myself so I could eat better. I could take a break before and after classes. I didn’t have to engage in social interactions when I didn’t feel like it. I had time to read books, learn new things alone and everything felt great.
But things started spiralling down a while after. I occasionally have a moment when I feel depressed and anxious. When this happened before the pandemic, I was so frustrated that I couldn’t have time for myself, completely alone, to heal, shake off the bad thoughts in my head and snap out of it by myself. I had to consistently be around people, and this was a big stress factor for me. But as I had enough time to be alone now, I always chose to be at home because I had the chance. I avoided meeting people and even going out at all. I spent weeks at home, being depressed, waiting to recover one day.
Things did not get better. That month, I experienced the worst depression. Time passed by and things were not as bad as then, but I realized that being alone couldn’t always be a go-to choice when I felt depressed.
After that happened, I met my friend for the first time in a while. Though I didn’t feel like it, I forced myself to go out, to see what happens. We had a long talk. We had good food. When I came back home, I didn’t feel ‘happy’ but at least I didn’t feel depressed. I thought meeting people and talking with them won’t fix or ameliorate my problems. I always wanted a ‘deep, productive talk’ to feel like I had a fulfilling conversation. But after that day, although I acknowledge it still isn’t a solution to my problems, I learned that meeting friends and just talking about small things can be a great way to relieve stress.
I started learning new things, but this time with new people. I started learning pole dancing and I learned how to be comfortable in my own skin when I’m around others. I could overcome the thought that I had to excel and be perfect around people; maybe that is why I preferred being alone. I was just enjoying the moment being a newbie and had a great time moving my body, learning new stuff with new people.
From this experience of mine, I learned that giving myself time to be with new people is very important, although I might not passionately want it. It was needed to check if I’m doing right and relieve stress. During the pandemic, I learned that feeling comfortable with being around people, going out sometimes, and having social interactions are important especially when we could choose to be alone for a long time.
APRIL 2021 ARTICLES
THINGS I GOT TO DO IN COVID FOR THE SUMMER
by Jayda Lim
It was around March or April when my country decided to do a lockdown, having all of the citizens stay at home. As a person who likes to do face-to-face online classes, it was quite hard for me to think about what I want to do with all the free time I had. However, I looked at Covid-19 as an opportunity to get back to my hobbies and do other activities!
Here are some of the things I got to do for summer.
Read Books
Reading books has always been a hobby of mine! I used to post a lot of book-related content on Instagram, however, due to school, I got busy and stopped posting. When finally I had enough free time in my hands, I decided to go back to reading and I suddenly miss the feeling of what reading books can give me!
2. Watch Korean Drama and Films
I had less time to do another one of the things I loved too, which is watching Korean Drama and Films. My father was a huge influence as to why I started loving films - for some reason, he always invites me to watch films with him which was very fun. Then I started discovering Korean Dramas around the year 2013, so what I did was watch one Korean drama and then take a break by watching 2-3 different films. However, because of school, I had less time to watch because when I would get home, I slump back on the bed and rest; but thankfully, in summer I was able to watch what I want once again!
3. Play League of Legends
I never found myself playing League of Legends in summer because the only game I used to play was Tekken, but a best friend of mine introduced me to League of Legend’s virtual girl group “K/DA” and seeing the champions there, made me wonder what it’s like to actually use those champions in the actual game! Although I’m still a beginner, I enjoy playing so much! There is this kind of satisfactory feeling when you’re part of the winning team.
P.S. I’m a Jinx main!
NOVEMBER 2020 ARTICLES
SEASONAL BLUES
By Jihye Nam
It’s already November – autumn leaves falling as the days get colder again, and the year 2020 that never seemed to end finally heading to its closure. A few good things happened to me personally this year, but it is still an undeniable fact that 2020 has been distorted by the terrible pandemic that struck the whole world. The distress that comes from quarantine and limitations in daily life seems like we would never get completely used to it. For me, however, the impact that Covid-19 had on my academic concerns and obscure future path was much heavier.
In December 2019, I made my final decision on university administration to go to the International College. My expectations on International College was to, first of all, meet people from various backgrounds and cultures, communicate and understand them in foreign language, explore the areas of my interests and ultimately challenge my limits. It seems like quite a lot of expectations to have for a freshman; but still this means that I was very, very looking forward to my university life in UIC.
Unfortunately, however, Covid-19 changed possibly everything one could imagine as a university life – I couldn’t have a dorm life with my foreign roommate, attend class in the actual classrooms or meet anyone from the university at all except for class or club activities. This frustration that I cannot fully enjoy the merits of International College (despite the unbelievably expensive tuition) was what mentally ate me up the most throughout the whole year. Since I am not from a family that owns buildings and would never have any worries when it comes to monetary issues, I couldn’t help myself constantly considering the efficiency of being educated in UIC: it seemed like though I like the English lectures and the contents I learn from those classes, the life in International College wasn’t as that spectacle nor satisfying as I had expected. Further, I was worried(I still am, actually) whether I would be good at the majors I initially thought of – Econ and CLC – as there were so many intelligent students here. I’ve even thought of changing my major to English Language and Literature, as I wasn’t sure about what I wanted to do in the future when I remain here in UIC. These worries about majors, monetary problems and ultimately my future kept me awake overnight for days and days, which would sometimes even impact my self-esteem.
Despite the Corona blues from daily life and deeper concerns on my obscure future, there are some of my own ways of dealing with these depressing thoughts. Personally, I’m not the type that would intentionally pull up my tension or try to wear happy vibes when depressed. I rather “sink” in the middle of depressing emotions and go down, and down until I reach the bottom; so that I can kick the very bottom of the darkness and rise up to the surface again. Whenever I find myself too sad, depressed and lonely to do anything, I give myself a break to entirely focus on my own emotion and submerge into it. Usually, music helps me with this process – here are some of the songs from my “moody” playlist. <When the party’s over> by Billie Eilish, <Liability> by Lorde, <Sober> by Demi Lovato, <Half a man> by Dean Lewis, <Falling> by Harry Styles, and finally, <하루의 끝(The end of the day)> by Jonghyun. Listening to these songs, I feel somehow comforted by the lyrics and emotions that I share with these people far away, in a different time.
Corona blues are now the universal issue that anyone in the planet shares and deals with every day. Although the blueness would occur in different ways and aspects for each individual, I hope we all could develop our own ways to soothe the pain and spot the brighter sides of our lives that still shine even through these dark days.
OCTOBER 2020 ARTICLES
WHAT ARE CORONA BLUES AND HOW DID I DEAL WITH THEM
By Valeria Delacruz
“Depression caused by the coronavirus,” as defined by The Korea Times, the corona blues have become prevalent amongst many people leaving symptoms of depression, tiredness, and hopelessness. The shutdown of businesses and social interaction have immensely impacted human interaction in the past 8 months, to the point where people still do not know how to deal with this sudden change. Even though I experienced COVID-19 in Korea and America, the corona blues did not kick in until I came back to America. Since COVID-19 was well-controlled in Korea, life felt like it was back to normal, only with the addition of mask usage. Life in Korea was paradise compared to the United States because Koreans cooperated with health recommendations, life was able to semi-return to normalcy. However, as soon as I landed at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport, the air felt pressured and miserable. The first few weeks, I stayed indoors and my body received zero percent of sunlight. I unconsciously gave my body a routine: waking up at 11AM, eating brunch, staying on TikTok for hours, eating dinner, and finally, going to sleep. I felt restless. Food began to taste bland. Music didn’t feel the same. TikTok wasn’t entertaining anymore.
I knew I needed to change once TikTok stopped being fulfilling. Jokes aside, I knew I needed to take initiative to change. Otherwise, I would be stuck in that frustrating loop of emptiness. So, I started looking for jobs and mentoring programs I could participate in this semester. Luckily, I was able to land a job and join a local mentoring program. For me, safely interacting with the outside served as a reminder that humanity still exists, despite the mandated quarantine guidelines that keep people at home. Additionally, I incorporated the habit of studying Korean grammar on Sundays, which gave me something to look forward to on Sundays. All in all, corona blues have shutdown a sector of life that we used to share; a sector of life that many took for granted. Though life may feel hopeless right now, look forward to your future; a future where everyone will soon be reunited.
SOLUTIONS TO CORONA BLUES
By Dahee Lee
It has already been 10 months since COVID 19 pandemic first struck our world. Since then, so many things have changed. Without masks, we are forbidden to do any outer activities. Universities have temporarily terminated their availability for offline classes. Due to sudden and dramatic changes, many people nowadays are struggling with Corona Blues. This term refers to prolonged stress and depression amid a pandemic. To overcome Corona Blues, I would like to introduce three solutions for those who are struggling or may potentially struggle.
First, take a regular stroll or exercise at home, park, or anywhere you like. This would help to alleviate stress and helplessness by fully immersing yourself into a moment. Second, I would like to suggest giving yourself self-compassion. Regularly tell yourself how good you are doing right now and how things will be better. This will drastically improve your mental health and help you better focus on your tasks. Lastly, enjoy music, especially exciting and cheerful ones. Concentrate on the positive, storytelling lyrics. Music is one of the ways to boost your mood and even the atmosphere of your room, so I highly recommend it. These were the three solutions I would like to ask you to try out to get through this ongoing Covid 19 situation! Hope you guys do well for the rest of the semester.